We’ve all been through a lot the last year – you, us, the young people we support, those who care for them; teachers, social workers, youth workers, parents, foster parents and more. Now, as the country begins to open up again, it’s an exciting but a nervous time for all of us. But if we know one thing, it’s that the young people who come on a Go Beyond break can teach us a lot about how to be brave.
Top-tips from the young people:
- “I think about my Mummy if I want to try new stuff and be brave”
- “To be brave I pretend I am superman – he is always brave”
- “I am always brave – sort of. I think of my Mum and Dad, and that keeps me brave”
- “If I don’t feel brave I do something I don’t like quickly and get rid of the scared feeling”
- “Ask your friends for help. They probably don’t feel brave either but when you are with your friends, it’s ok”
- “I pretend to be brave, event when I am not”
- “If I don’t feel brave I try to think of happy things – like my dogs”
- “You don’t have to try everything, but try at least one new thing”
- “Look at today as a day of adventures!”
Mia’s story
Mia*, age 9 from Cornwall says “Before I came to Go Beyond I felt really sad because a member of my family died. Sometimes it would make me feel angry and I wouldn’t know what to do, then I’d get into trouble at school.”
“I felt quite nervous about coming to Go Beyond because I was worried about my Mummy at home, but after about five minutes of arriving I felt fine. Everyone was really smiley and funny and they were all very kind to me. They made me feel comfortable, like I am at home. We went to the beach and ate a pasty and to the woods where I climbed a tree! We used flint to light a real fire. It was a bit scary but I did it and it was brilliant!”
“Being at Go Beyond made me really happy. I had a lot of fun and would love to live there. I was a little sad when it was all over as everyone was so nice and fun to be with. They even sent me a birthday card on my birthday!”
*Names and ages have been changed to protect identities.
